October 3rd is the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei. According to the Bible, this is the first day of the seventh month, on which we are to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, or “Yom HaTeruah”. The real start of the year is on the first day of the first month (Nisan), however, over the centuries, the first of Tishrei has been adopted as the Jewish new year and is known as Rosh Hashanah. How did the Feast of Trumpets become Rosh hashanah?

October 3rd – 12th are known as the Ten Days of Awe. They are the time when Jewish people prepare their hearts for the holiest day of the Jewish calendar: The Day of Atonement. 

October 12th is the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. Starting at sunset the evening before, the whole country grinds to a complete stop for 25 hours until sunset on Saturday. Most roads are empty as Israelis spend the day in fasting and contemplation. It’s a “Do-Nothing Day”—when it comes to atonement, Jesus, our high priest, did it all.

October 17th is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles this year, or “Sukkot” in Hebrew, again starting the evening before. God commanded His people to build temporary shelters and celebrate in for them in a week, to remember the time of wandering through the desert with Him. It is traditional to invite guests to feast with you in your “sukkah” and it’s a time of great rejoicing! 

October 23rd Sukkot is a week-long feast with the seventh day known as “Hoshana Rabba”, or a request for a “Great Salvation”. Jesus stood up and made an important announcement at this time, on The Last and Greatest Day of the Feast 

October 24th has a bonus eighth day at the end known as “Shemini Atzeret” which means the “Eighth Day of the Assembly”. 

October 24th is also known as Simchat Torah, when the Torah reading cycle restarts again. There is great rejoicing with Torah scrolls in the streets. Jewish people all over the world read a portion of the Torah together each week, starting now in Genesis and slowly working through all five books to end with Deuteronomy next September. The “Hafterah” is a portion from the prophets which accompanies the Torah portion, and so throughout the year a lot of ground is covered. Do you have a good system for reading through your Bible? 

October 31st is significant for a couple of reasons, both of which being somewhat controversial. The first is the anniversary of Reformation, kicked off by Martin Luther. His “95 Theses” are famous for bringing much needed change to the body of Messiah, but his later writings became increasingly hateful towards the Jewish people. The second is Halloween, which is hard to avoid in many countries, but choosing how to respond is an important thing for believers to consider: Fear No Evil.